Senior administration official blasts Trump in anonymous NYT op-ed

A person identified as a senior administration official blasted President Trump in an anonymous op-ed published by The New York Times on Wednesday, saying they were working to “thwart” President Trump’s “worst inclinations.”

“To be clear, ours is not the popular ‘resistance’ of the left,” the piece reads. “We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous.”

“But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic,” the unidentified official wrote.

……..

The newspaper said that the person’s identity was known to the Times and their “job would be jeopardized” by their name being disclosed.

In the piece, the unidentified official denounces Trump’s “amorality” and describes his impulses as “generally anti-trade and anti-democratic.”

“The root of the problem is the president’s amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making,” they wrote.

The piece describes a number of instances that the author describes as part of a “two-track presidency,” saying when Trump expresses a desire to take a particular action, aides and officials around him work to do another.

……..

“There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more,” the piece reads. “But these successes have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective.”

Trump has long attacked some of his own institutions for alleged political bias, and speculated that there are people within the government working to undermine him. But the author of the Times piece pushes back on the suggestion that there is a so-called “deep state.”

“This isn’t the work of the so-called deep state,” the person continued. “It’s the work of the steady state.”

The official also said that Trump’s Cabinet originally speculated about invoking the 25th Amendment to deem Trump unsuited for office and remove him, but that they did not want to “precipitate a constitutional crisis.”

“It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room,” the official writes. “We fully recognize what is happening. And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”

The hunt for the author will be the most aggressive since Primary Colors project of the 1990s. If this person can land a book deal now, and stay anonymous through publication, it will be a publishing sensation.

The anonymous NYT piece indicates something I said just weeks ago to @WestWingReport : that the machinery around Trump has a set of policies (like, on #Russia) that are sensible but are not actually Trump's policies. Terrifying to hear it confirmed this way, though.

Truthfully, it's no comfort at all, because it relies on a pact among senior staff to cover the President's amorality – and possible incapacity – and govern by default while keeping the reality from reaching the American people. This is a nightmare. https://t.co/Ee9QnNqXTL

I am torn about this. I do not want people who are preventing disasters to resign. But to just keep spackling over one crisis after another… sooner or later, they're going to fail and we're going to be in more peril than ever. https://t.co/2Do4KBUmxM

TOMCON level elevated to 2. This is now a state of continuing political crisis. But don't think it's going to get resolved tomorrow: this could stay this way till 2020. And there will be multiple other crises because of it. Just pray none in foreign affairs. pic.twitter.com/RMsN4nnlB6

We'd be having endless debates among people who'd be on TV by tonight yelling "I knew X and he/she is the finest person I know!" and "I know X and he/she was a jerk when we worked together!" and long human-interest in X's long road to GOP dissidence and blah blah blah. /2

Worse yet, Trump, the GOP Nut Caucus, and MAGA cultists would go into overdrive trying to punish this person. They'd be expelled from the WH, and maybe even have to worry about personal safety for a while. Again, all while the message gets completely lost. /4

With all that said, whoever it is will have to come forward at some point, and sooner rather than later. Because now that we've heard the message, the idiotic conspiracy theories are starting. So, I'm glad the NYT vetted this, but the public is going to need to know, soon. /5x